"It looked like a scorpion!" "...plane!" "...monster!"

OH MY GOODNESS! A helicopter came to Onayena today! It was MADNESS! The learners ran screaming outside our classrooms when they heard it coming. Then, as it was approaching and flying quite low in order to land, they shrieked and screamed and ran back in the classrooms. I could not stop laughing.

It passed over the school and everyone – learners, teachers, principal – went tearing after it! The entire population dashed through the little gate to exit our property. Our principal shouted to me “Camera! Camera!” and she gleefully cruised by. The helicopter landed in a field about 250 yards away, and as I joined the rush I saw people POURING into the field from all directions of the village! It was so cute and exciting!

It did not stay for more than a few minutes; I wasn’t even to it yet when the whirr of the propellers intensified for it to take off again. The terror of the noise and the wind whipping sand at them triggered the swarm to reverse, and hundreds of shrieking Namibians scrambled away from this beastly machine back to their respective shelters. I was laughing SO HARD.

The kids who made it up to the helicopter before it took off again said there were four men onboard, and one took pictures of them, which of course was THRILLING. I can’t be sure but I’m guessing it was there because of the flooding: assessing/rescuing/evacuating. It was really cool to witness the excitement.

“It is rumored if it go up it make lots of air that can cause air pollution to make our air dirty and cause disease to us.” - Eva

“It was polluting the because it was black petroleum.” - Shimwe

“Some children were crying because the voice of a helicopter is very scary.” - Matheus